


II. The Things He Loved About Her

by ecs



Series: It's a lonely, cold December in my heart. [2]
Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: F/M, Hockey, OFC - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-05
Updated: 2014-07-05
Packaged: 2018-02-07 14:38:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1902768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ecs/pseuds/ecs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When he was young and naive, he had once asked her - "Mommy, why do you love the rain so much?" and she had looked at him sadly and said, "Because it's the only thing you can count on for consistency." At the time, he had wrinkled his nose in confusion and continued playing with his legos. But looking back now, Brandon saw the transparency of her answer - the terrible desolation she endured over her failed marriage, her crumbling life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	II. The Things He Loved About Her

Whoosh. The water pressure of the shower beat down on Brandon as he rinsed out the shampoo in his hair. His body hurt all over - partially from playing close to 30 minutes tonight, partially from the physicality of the Boston Bruins - the bruises covering his body to prove it. He massaged his muscles and tried to relax. He barely had enough energy to shower, let alone go to Hadley's in this state. But the opportunity of finally getting a glimpse of her life, of who she was outside of the bedroom, was not one Brandon was willing to let slip in between his fingers. He turned off the shower and dried himself. He threw on a dress shirt and jeans and headed back into the locker room, where the rest of the boys were sitting around and chatting. 

"Saader, we're getting drinks at Joe's. You coming?" Shawzy said, slapping him on the back. Brandon winced in pain and glanced at his watch. He shook his head in "No thanks."

"Sorry man. I've got some stuff to do," he replied nonchalantly. In the corner of his eye, he could see their reactions. Shawzy raised his eyebrow and Sharpy shrugged his shoulders. Brandon felt a wave of annoyance. Apparently, you turn down one invitation and suddenly everyone's up your ass about it. 

"You never miss team bonding. What do you have to do thats more important?" Shawzy inquired. Brandon knew that he hadn't meant it any particular way but he was annoyed enough to start a fight.

"Get off my back, man. I said no and i'm not going to change my mind," he retorted, his voice seething with anger. He regretted it as soon as the words rolled off his tongue. Why had he made it such a big deal, when it didn't need to be? Andrew held up his hands in retreat, making Brandon feel even worse. He grabbed his duffel bag and waved goodbye before he could make the situation worse. 

He headed to his car and tossed the duffel bag in the trunk. He slipped into the front seat, exhaustion creeping over his body. He jammed the keys into the ignition. The car grunted but didn't start up. No, he thought, there is no fucking way that this is happening right now. He tried again but it was unsuccessful. He ran his fingers through his hair, trying to figure out what to do next. He grabbed his phone and dialed Hadley. She picked up on the third ring.

"Brandon?" Her soft voice echoed through the phone.

"Hi. Yeah, it's me. I'm sitting outside of the arena. My car is dead and I can't get a ride and it's rain-"

"I'll come pick you up. I know where it is," she interrupted, "See you in a few."

Before Brandon could even begin to murmur his thanks, the phone line went dead.

He sat in his car and watched the rain turn into downpour. It reminded him of his mother. She loved the sound of the rain, the loud pitter-patter of the droplets hitting the roof. On rainy nights, she would sit in her favorite chair and close her eyes and listen to it come down. When he was young and naive, he had once asked her - "Mommy, why do you love the rain so much?" and she had looked at him sadly and said, "Because it's the only thing you can count on for consistency." At the time, he had wrinkled his nose in confusion and continued playing with his legos. But looking back now, Brandon saw the transparency of her answer - the terrible desolation she endured over her failed marriage, her crumbling life. 

Hadley honked her horn. He grabbed his duffel and jogged into the pouring rain. He slide in the passenger seat and closed the door shut behind him. He looked up and noticed Shawzy standing 20 feet away, his soaked clothes clinging to his skin. He looked back and forth between Hadley and Brandon, gave a slight nod, and got into his car. It was the first time Brandon noticed the blatant and obvious gap in their friendship. 

"Is that your teammate?" Hadley asked, sensing the awkward tension between the two. 

"Yeah. Andrew Shaw. Thanks for picking me up, by the way." She nodded and started driving. The rest of the drive home was silent. When they finally pulled into the driveway, he looked up at her house.

"Well, this is it," She said, shutting off the engine. The house was big - much bigger than he expected it to be. She was what? 23? A year out of college and her house probably cost at least three times his rookie salary. Where did she get the money for this? He wondered to himself. 

"You've got a really nice house," he commented thoughtfully, still looking at it. 

"Come on, lets go inside," she said, making a dash for it. Brandon, exhausted from the game, hobbled slowly behind her. By the time he made it into the house, he was drenched. 

"Give me a minute. I've got some of my brother's stuff upstairs. I'll get us a change of clothes," Hadley yelled over her shoulder, already halfway up the stairs. Brandon looked around. The house was furnished minimally but expensively, with the basic essentials and a few pieces of art hanging on the walls. Across from him hung the only personal item he could find - her diploma from Harvard.

"Hadley Addison Sinclair" was printed neatly across it. 

She padded down the stairs and tossed the clothes at him. He winced, his muscles straining to function. Hadley quietly observed him before coming over. One by one, she undid the buttons of his dress shirt. At the last one, it opened up, revealing a large, dark bruise printed over his ribcage. Her eyes widened, but she said nothing. She slid the sleeves off his arms, letting the shirt fall to the ground. He watched her, his body unmoving in the silence. She surveyed his naked skin, which was now spotted all over with dark, blue-ish bruises. Hadley traced them with her fingers, careful not to press too hard. She moved her fingers down to his pants, undoing the button and unzipping them. She pulled them around his ankles and aided his tense calves in stepping out of the sodded material. It was strangely intimate, he thought, the way she touched him - she careful, but at the same time, not afraid to touch him. He looked down at his body, at the ugliness of his discolored skin. 

"From the game?" Hadley said, finally speaking. He nodded. "I saw it. You won." Brandon looked up at her. He wondered why, out of all the times before, she was choosing now to be intimate with him. 

"You watched me play," he replied. He meant it as a question but it came out as a statement. She smiled but said nothing more. 

"Can you make it up the stairs?" she asked, finally breaking the silence.

"Yeah," He wasn't sure what they were going to do. Hell, he could barely walk up the stairs- let alone fuck her.

Hadley led the way and he followed. Every few seconds, she turned to look at him - checking to make sure he was doing okay, that he was still there. She brought him to the bedroom and adjusted the pillows for him to lay down. He did so - letting his body submerge into the bed. She turned away from him, his eyes following her every moment. She lifted off her shirt and shimmied out of her jeans. She turned around and faced him, revealing her almost naked body. Her brown hair was draped over her shoulders, only leaving him a small glimpse of her protruding collarbone. Brandon couldn't believe how beautiful she was, standing there in front of him. He wanted to touch her, to kiss her - to tell her all the things he loved about her. Loved - he repeated - yeah, the things he loved about her. 

"Close your eyes," she said, still standing there. He did what he was told. A moment later, Brandon felt her curl up in the spot between his arm and his chest. She nestled in and pulled the covers over them, letting her hand rest on his hips. He opened his eyes and looked at her. It was the first time he had ever seen her look so calm. She was always tense, always on the edge - but tonight, she was defenseless, vulnerable even. She was there - fully there - in that moment. 

"Go to sleep," she said. It was like she could feel him watching her. 

He closed his eyes and smiled, letting the tiredness swallow him up into a deep and unabridged sleep.


End file.
